Central Europe Matters

Central Europe Matters
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Documentary
  • Weekly Series

Welcome to a brand-new, narrative podcast about society, politics and democracy in the heart of Europe. Meet local activists, experts, journalists, artists and others struggling to make sense of what's happening in their countries and of the turbulent times we live in. Between democratic backsliding, far-right populism, the ongoing legacy of 20th century experiments in totalitarianism, and a strategically vital location on the doorstep of Russia and Ukraine, Central Europe is ground zero for the battle over the future of Europe. ⠀ Host Jeff Lugowe draws on his academic study of the region at Brown and Harvard and his knowledge of Polish and Czech as he takes listeners on a journey around the big cities and forgotten corners of Central Europe. ⠀ Season 1: Slovakia — Democracy under Attack launched August 12th. New episodes every Wednesday. ⠀ Central Europe Matters is an independent, DIY narrative podcast hosted and started by Jeff and produced by Dávid Pál. It is generously supported by the EEA Civil Society Fund Slovakia.

  1. Season 1 Trailer

    Season 1 Trailer: Slovakia — Democracy under Attack

    Season 1 will take listeners on a trip around Slovakia — a small, mountainous country on the eastern periphery of the European Union  — currently in the throes of a democratic crisis. Join host Jeff Lugowe as he meets people living in the big cities and deep in the countryside and hears how they are fighting for their democracy. Slovakia — Democracy under Attack launches in August 2026. Subscribe today to get the first episode in your podcast feed. Central Europe Matters is an new, independent narrative podcast. Read more about the podcast and the upcoming season by visiting:  https://www.centraleuropematters.eu/ Trailer soundtrack: Smutné kvety by Samotay

    Season 1 Trailer: Slovakia — Democracy under Attack

  2. Aug 12

    E1: The old system collapsed, but is it really gone?

    This episode marks our first trip to Slovakia and the start of season 1, Slovakia – Democracy under attack. Buckle up – it's going to be a wild ride. Follow me, host Jeff Lugowe, as I speak with activists, researchers, artists and concerned citizens about the battle currently underway in Slovakia over the country's democratic future. ⠀ We begin in  Banská Bystrica in central Slovakia to meet Sandra and Lea, two activists with the organization Not in our Town (Nie v našom meste). ⠀ Then we move a few hours northwest to the city of Žilina. There, I sat down with three high school students who gained national prominence last winter for their Student Protest initiative (Študentský protest). ⠀ Finally, I drove the winding roads back to Central Slovakia and  Revúca, a town of 11,000 people set amid a canopy of forested hills. Diana invited me to her apartment, where we talked about being a community activist in a small, isolated town.  ⠀  This journey around Slovakia is just getting started. Subscribe to Central Europe Matters if you haven't already – episode 2 will be out next Wednesday.  ⠀ Episode soundtrack: Dufekova Cifra by  Folk&Bass Orchestra  ⠀  Check out the official show website, where you can read more about the podcast and what motivated me to embark on this project in the first place: https://www.centraleuropematters.eu/ ⠀ You can see photos of the places we visited during this episode by clicking on the names of the cities above.   ⠀  Email me with any questions or to tell me what you think of the first episode: jeff@centraleuropematters.eu ⠀ This episode was produced, mix and mastered by Dávid Pál. It was hosted and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe.

    E1: The old system collapsed, but is it really gone?

  3. Aug 19

    E2: The country that cried itself into independence

    What happens when you wake up one day and find yourself living in a different country?      In this week's episode, we move from the fall of communism in 1989 to the emergence of an independent Slovak state in 1993.      For most of this episode, I spoke to people living in Bratislava, the dynamic and at times architecturally puzzling Slovak capital, before returning to Banská Bystrica in central Slovakia for my final conversation. I also made a brief stop in Košice in eastern Slovakia.      The thread running through this episode is: what prevents some people in Slovakia from identifying with their own state?      Episode breakdown: Intro segment: The country that cried itself into independence, with democracy activist Ľuboš ŽárskýSegment 1: The complex nature of Slovak national feeling and identification with the state, with sociologist Miloslav BahnaSegment 2: The deep rift within the Slovak elite, then and now, with sociologist Dominik ŽelinskýInterlude segment: The limits of solidarity, with professor of social work Katarína ŠiňanskáSegment 3: The country that was founded on a façade, with civil society activist and veteran Peter Medveď     Episode soundtrack: TRESTY by Samotay, one of my favorite Slovak indie artists      As always, you can reach me with questions, comments or just to say "ahoj" by emailing jeff@centraleuropematters.eu.      This episode was produced by Dávid Pál, and hosted and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe.     You can click on the names of the cities I visited for today's episode if you want to pair your listening experience with a visual trip around Slovakia. Visit the Central Europe Matters website for even more photos, a preview of the rest the season, or if you're curious about who I am and why I started this podcast.

    E2: The country that cried itself into independence

  4. Aug 26

    E3: Do Slovaks like being ruled by a strongman?

    Many Slovaks thought they had gotten authoritarian strongmen leaders out of their system when Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar lost his reelection bid in 1998. Almost twenty years later, the current Slovak government is led by former Communist Robert Fico, whose coalition government attacks independent media, starves independent culture of financing, and in televised rants and social media tirades accuses political opponents and Slovaks who didn't vote for him of progressive fascism and ideological terrorism. ​ ⠀  To understand what Fico's brand of take-no-prisoner politics means for Slovakia and its people, I spoke to a political scientist, an author/journalist and two women living in a small town. ​ ⠀  We start our journey around Slovakia in the passenger's seat of Diana's car, somewhere between Revúca and Spišská Nová Ves in Central Slovakia. You met Diana in episode 1; now she's back due to popular demand. We then move to Košice in the country's southeast, before making the long drive (when is that cross-country highway getting built?) to the capital, Bratislava. Finally, we jump back into the car with Diana and Emma, one of the students Diana mentors.  Episode breakdown: ⠀  Intro segment: With politicians like this, what could possibly go wrong? with Diana JackováSegment 1: Slovak stagnation and the ruse of social democracy, with political scientist Lukáš JakabovičSegment 2: Progress and development? Not on Robert Fico's watch, with author, columnist and translator Samo MarecOutro segment: Double standards in politics, with Diana and Emma ⠀  Episode soundtrack: Močí ďïovča konope (featuring Ženy z Muzičky) by Folk&Bass Orchestra, a Slovak ensemble that combine folk sounds with electronic and jazz elements.  ⠀  As always, you can reach me with questions, comments or just to say "ahoj" by emailing jeff@centraleuropematters.eu. ⠀  This episode was produced by Dávid Pál, and hosted and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe.

    E3: Do Slovaks like being ruled by a strongman?

  5. Sep 9

    E4: Between remembrance and forgetting

    It is hard work confronting the darker chapters of our shared past. When faced with horrors like those that occurred on Slovak soil during the Second World War, it is easier to look away. To try to forget.  ⠀  Others still never learn about the crimes committed by the wartime Slovak regime against citizens of the country. About what neighbors did to neighbors.  ⠀  Yet in what Hana Kubatová – who you will meet in the second main interview of this week's episode – calls the spirit of historian Tony Judt, nations and people can never move on from the misdeeds of our past if we do not acknowledge and remember. There is no other way forward.   ⠀  So, as hard as it might be, I invite you to join me on another journey around Slovakia. I invite you – as the band Besna put it when speaking about their 2025 album Krásno, from which this episode's soundtrack is drawn – to face the darkness head-on, rather than averting your gaze.   ⠀   Intro segment: A case study of history concealed during a way across the main square of Banská BystricaSlovak-language interlude #1: Empty spaces, with Zuzana Janíčková in Banská BystricaSegment 1: Remembrance work and reclaiming lost history, with Veronika Fishbone Vlčková in BratislavaSlovak-language interlude #2: Bringing history alive and connecting it to the present, with Lubomir Morbacher in BratislavaTwo minutes about: The Slovak language, with Lucia Hasbach and Tomáš Polesensky, somewhere between Martin and Banská BystricaSegment 2: We can feel shame and we can feel pride, with Hana Kubatová in PragueSlovak-language interlude: They felt relieved only when they tore down the synagogue, with Eva Paulechová in Čadca  ⠀  Episode soundtrack: Zmráka sa by the Slovak post-metal band Besna, the opening track from the album Krásno. A special thanks to the band for agreeing to lend their music to this episode and for their support of the podcast more generally.    ⠀  As always, you can reach me with questions, comments or just to say "ahoj" by emailing jeff@centraleuropematters.eu.   ⠀  This episode was produced and mastered by Dávid Pál, and hosted and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe   ⠀   If you like what I'm doing, please share the podcast with a friend.

    E4: Between remembrance and forgetting

  6. Sep 16

    E5: Truthtellers

    In Slovakia, political polarization seeps into everything. Disinformation emanating from Russia and spread by Slovak "alternative media" platforms has transformed the information landscape. This creates enormous challenges for media organizations in the country. How do you continue to focus on what really matters when faced with actors whose aim is to loosen people's grip on reality and make them question the truth of everything? ​ ⠀   Seven years after investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kušnírová, were murdered in cold blood, journalists in Slovakia continue to expose corruption and shed light on the troubling links between politicians and powerful oligarchs. They do so in spite of the risks they know this work carries, because in any democracy the media plays a vital role keeping the public informed and holding power accountable. ​ ⠀   In this episode, we go behind the scenes at Sme—one of the country’s most important papers, founded during the first month of Slovak independence—to meet two veteran journalists doing this essential work. Join me as we explore what it's like reporting in a country fighting a rising tide of disinformation, where the government itself traffics in half-truths, untruths, and outright lies. ​ ⠀   Episode breakdown: Intro segment: A double-murder that shook the nation and holding power to account at SmeGuest 1: Village life, the main divisions in Slovak society, and living in parallel information universes, with Michaela Terenzani, head of the news desk at Sme, in BratislavaInterlude: Dispatch from Bratislava Pride and an unexpected encounterGuest 2: The stress of working as a journalist and reporting on the front lines of disinformation, with Jakub Filo, deputy editor-in-chief at Sme, in BratislavaMichaela, part ii: Confronting Russian propaganda and the end of history no moreEpisode soundtrack: "Rusínska" by the Slovak group Folk&Bass Orchestra, who make music that is both beautiful and makes me wanna dance. A special thanks to the group for generously lending their music to this episode and for the art they create.  ​ ⠀   I encourage you to check out the episode page on the show’s website, where you will find photo galleries of the places I traveled for this episode so you can visualize where we’ve gone and see who we’ve met. ​ ⠀   As always, you can reach me with questions, comments or just to say "ahoj" by emailing jeff@centraleuropematters.eu. This episode was mastered and produced by Dávid Pál. It was written, hosted, and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe. ​ ⠀  If you like what I'm doing, please click follow and consider leaving a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

    E5: Truthtellers

  7. Sep 23

    E6: Slovakia is Europe – Anatomy of a protest movement

    In the aftermath of Prime Minister Robert Fico’s shock visit to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin in December 2024, Slovaks poured onto the squares of large cities and small towns under the banner Slovakia is Europe. The protest movement continued into 2025 and mobilized hundreds of thousands of people.    Yet these protests were about far more than the country's membership in the EU. They were about values that people continue to hold dear and are not prepared to surrender without a fight: decency, solidarity, tolerance, and a commitment to telling the truth. In this episode, we travel from Prague to Bratislava and finally to the borderland town of Čadca in northwest Slovakia to examine the power of the European idea, what it means to different people, and how it functions as a mobilizing force.     Episode breakdown: Intro: A surprise trip to Moscow and Europe as a mobilizing ideaSegment 1: An outsider/insider perspective on the protest movement and Slovak society, with Adam Kollár in PragueSegment 2: The stakes of the fight over Slovakia's European future, with Samo Marec in BratislavaSegment 3 (Part I): Building community and standing up for justice and accountability, with Mirka Petríková, Ľuboš Žárský, and Jozef Šustek at the offices of the organization KERIC in ČadcaInterlude: Brief visits to protests held in Čadca and BratislavaOutro: Modeling values on town squares, fighting resignation, and why a protest is not an end in itself, but a beginning     Episode soundtrack: Vyprchá by the Slovak indie artist Samotay, a track whose title means "it evaporates" or "it fades away." A special thanks to Samotay for lending his music to this episode. Keep an eye out for him at the next anti-government protest.      As always, you can reach me with questions, comments or just to say "ahoj" by emailing jeff@centraleuropematters.eu. If you send me a question related to the season by Thursday, October 1st, I will try to answer it in an upcoming bonus episode.      This episode was mastered and produced by Dávid Pál. It was written, hosted, and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe. ​     If you like what I'm doing, please subscribe and consider leaving a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

    E6: Slovakia is Europe – Anatomy of a protest movement

  8. Sep 30

    E7: Culture wars

    Since Robert Fico’s coalition government took power three years ago, the ministry of culture has launched a full-frontal assault on independent culture. Led by Martina Šimkovičová, the ministry is pursuing an ideological crusade against what it characterizes as "progressive" or "liberal" culture, threatening to sideline brilliant artists and bankrupt unique institutions. It is an approach to governing defined by revenge rather than creation: if you can’t build, destroy. ⠀  Yet the Slovak cultural scene is not going down without a fight. In this episode, we sit down in Bratislava with two spokespersons for the grassroots Open Culture! Platform (Otvorená kultúra)—architectural historian Henrieta Moravčíková and filmmaker Adam Straka—and travel to three independent cultural venues in different corners of Slovakia to better understand the assault on culture, what lies behind the government’s hostility, and whether independent culture will survive. ⠀ Episode breakdown: Intro: Setting the stageSegment 1: What is the government doing to culture? with Henrieta Moravčíková and Adam Straka in Bratislava Interlude 1: A visit to Tabačka in Košice, with Peter Radkoff, founder and artistic directorSegment 2: How previous regimes shaped Slovak culture: Hungarian rule, the First Republic, and the Communist era Segment 3: Why are they doing it? Demonizing so-called cultural elites and culture wars over culture Interlude 2: A visit to Citadela in Rimavská Sobota, with Tomáš Bálint, founder and directorSegment 4: What happens next and will independent culture survive?Interlude 3: A visit to Hájovňa in Banská Štiavnica, with Matej Lacko and Ján Viazanička, co-foundersOutro: "Culture must be open and nothing else," and a message of defiance from Folk&Bass Orchestra ⠀ Episode soundtrack: Lastovienka by Folk&Bass Orchestra and Štefan Štec, a track integrating modern electronic music with traditional folk that refutes the claim that culture should be Slovak and nothing else. The melody originates from ethnic Slovaks in Vojvodina, Serbia, and is dedicated to the 16 victims of the Novi Sad train station collapse. Special thanks to the artists for contributing their music and a statement prepared especially for listeners of the podcast. ⠀  As always, you can reach me with questions, comments or just to say "ahoj" by emailing jeff@centraleuropematters.eu. If you send me a question related to the season by Friday, October 2nd, I will try to answer it in next week's bonus episode. ⠀  This episode was mastered and produced by Dávid Pál. It was written, hosted, and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe. ​  ⠀ If you like what I'm doing, please subscribe and consider leaving a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Please consider donating to the ongoing campaign Culture Needs Space (Kultúra potrebuje priestor) which aims to support independent cultural venues whose existence is threatened by the government's policies.

    E7: Culture wars

  9. Oct 14

    E8: Swimming against the tide

    In this episode, we shine a light on people across Slovakia who are doing things differently. They are confident in their values, but they are working nonetheless to speak to people who think differently than them and understand the way they think. In a country where polarization seeps into almost everything, they are swimming against the tide. If you're enjoying this episode, please do me a huge favor and share it with someone you know. Word-of-mouth is how independent podcasts like Central Europe Matters reach new listeners. We begin in Banská Bystrica in Central Slovakia where we meet two university students who lead an award-winning NGO, Edumacy. We then move to Trenčín in Western Slovakia to meet a political scientist who has conducted hundreds of workshops with young people with the aim of strengthening democracy and fighting extremism. We also make a brief trip to Košice to meet two women working at an NGO that advocates for Roma people living in Eastern Slovakia. While all of my guests today work in different parts of the country and on different topics, they are united by one thing: all of them are engaged in the hard work of breaking down barriers, shaking us out of our comfortable bubbles, and challenging our complacency. Episode breakdown: Intro: The danger of complacency and the importance of breaking out of neat binariesSegment 1: Beyond empty talking points: Bringing the EU closer to young Slovaks, with Martin Demčák and Kristína Piknová of the student NGO Edumacy in Banská BystricaSegment 2: Confronting extremism through open dialogue, with political scientist Pavol Struhár in TrenčínInterlude: Advocating for Roma rights and centering Roma stories, with Agáta Duchoňová and Vanda Durbáková from the NGO Poradňa in KošiceSegment 3: The dangers of mainstreaming far-right extremism, with Pavol in TrenčínOutro: Starting with ourselves, painful truths leaking through the cracks, and reflecting on the episode soundtrack, "Fúga"Episode soundtrack: "Fúga" by Besna (from their debut album Zverstvá, meaning Atrocities).Fúga / Fugue is a word with multiple meanings: a musical form where a single voice is joined and echoed by a chorus; a psychological fugue state where we flee from reality and erect barriers against trauma; and in Slovak specifically, the narrow crack or gap between tiles or bricks.  In the context of this episode, fúga, as I interpret it, evokes the crack in the foundation through which false, comforting national narratives and ideologies pass—reminding us that when history is suppressed, painful truths still leak out through the cracks. Interpretation of the song is my own; you can check out the full lyrics in Slovak and English and reflect on them yourself. My heartfelt thanks to Besna for lending their music to the podcast. You can catch Besna on tour in Slovakia and Czechia later this fall.  Central Europe Matters is an independent, DIY podcast. If you like what I'm doing, please share this episode with someone you know who appreciates this kind of storytelling. This is the single best way you can help the show grow.  As always, you can email me with questions, reactions or to throw ideas for collaboration my way.  This episode was mastered and produced by Dávid Pál. It was written, hosted, and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe.

    E8: Swimming against the tide

  10. 1d ago

    E9 | Season finale: Keep the lights on

    There are powerful forces conspiring to hollow out our democracies—a transnational alliance of tech oligarchs, ideologues, and the politicians who serve them. Those of us who want to live in free, open, democratic societies face a formidable opponent. Fighting this, exposing it, is not easy, and it is not going to get any easier. But there are many of us doing what we can, using the means we have and the skills we possess, to make sure the lights stay on. I'm an independent podcaster, without the backing of a big, established media organization. If you like what I'm doing, please share this podcast with someone you know. Please also consider rating/reviewing the pod and subscribing to the show newsletter; links at the bottom of the show notes. Thanks for your support and watch this feed for special episodes and updates about season 2. In the season finale of Season 1: Democracy Under Attack, we take one last drive in our rental Škoda across Slovakia to meet people fighting for their democracy in several different ways. We begin in Bratislava to speak with Tomáš, an expert on the information space and disinformation warfare who is clear-eyed about the challenges we face in our democratic societies. We then follow the winding mountain roads to Central Slovakia and the town of Revúca for one more conversation with Diana, this time about activist burnout and how she focuses on the local and the interpersonal when she is feeling overwhelmed by the big picture. Finally, we head to north-central Slovakia and the city of Martin to meet Jakub and Jozef, who have started a local initiative called Martin for Democracy dedicated to keeping the fight for democracy front-and-center in their local community. All of my guests today share one thing in common: through their relentless work and commitment to calling things by their true names, they are keeping the lights of Slovak democracy on. Episode breakdown: Intro: The stakes of the current battle and why the fight for democracy looks different depending on where you sitSegment 1: Overlapping crises, disinformation, and Self-Confident Slovakia (Sebavedomé Slovensko), with Tomáš Kriššák in BratislavaSegment 2: Focusing on what we can control, taking the breaks we need and re-entering the fight, with Diana Jacková in RevúcaSegment 3: Creating a hub for concerned citizens and standing up for democracy outside the capital, with Jakub Gallo and Jozef Petráš of Martin for Democracy (Martin za demokraciu)Outro: What is popular vs. what is right, waking up the sleeping masses, and reflections on the episode soundtrack, "Mesto spí"Episode soundtrack: "Mesto spí" (The City Sleeps) by the Bratislava-based post-metal band Besna featuring Tomáš Beňuška of the Slovak black-metal band Solipsism. Borrowing its title from the 1984 classic by Miroslav Žbirka—which, for those who wanted to hear the message, was a commentary on the passivity and depoliticization of society following the Prague Spring—this track invites us to reflect on our present moment: how some can sleep peacefully, lost in comforting illusions, while others just across the border have bombs falling on their heads. Check out the full lyrics in Slovak and English (band's translation) by visiting the full show notes on the show website.  Thank you to Besna for lending their music to this season. Thanks to Tomáš for speaking to me for this episode and for connecting me to the guys from Besna. Besna has become one of my favorite bands (and I like a lot of good bands). I'll be at their upcoming shows in Zvolen and Skalica, where I plan to do some headbanging. Thank you to Folk&Bass Orchestra and SAMOTAY, whose music you heard in earlier episodes this season. Many listeners have told me how much they have loved getting to know this trifecta of Slovak artists. Looking forward to seeing you guys play live one day too. Central Europe Matters is an independent, do-it-yourself podcast about society, politics, and the future of democracy. Please help me grow the show; I can't do it without your help. Sign up for the show newsletterRate on Spotify: Tap here to rate with one clickReview on Apple Podcasts: Tap here to leave a star rating & reviewThis episode was mastered and produced by Dávid Pál. It was written, hosted, and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe. Thank you to Dávid for logging god-knows-how-many hours making this season sound as good as it did. We did it! Thanks to everyone who has listened, who has supported me, and who has told me to keep doing. This work is hard and all-consuming and it means everything to hear from listeners that what I am doing matters. Thanks to Peter of Ekopolis and Civil Society Fund Slovakia for believing in my project from the first time we met back in early 2025. Finally, thanks to my late parents Shirley and Allan. I released episode 1 on my dad's birthday and am releasing the season finale the day after my mom's death anniversary. It is 1000% fitting that my dearly departed parents bookended the season, even if it was something of a coincidence. I wouldn't be able to do any of this if it weren't for both of you. Heartfelt thanks to my brother Bobby for supporting me on this journey, channeling our parents' love and support, and getting me to love metal (it took many years). Watch this feed and please stay in touch. I'd love to hear from you.

    E9 | Season finale: Keep the lights on

  11. Bonus

    Bonus episode: The story behind the podcast

    Hey listener! I accidentally published the first draft of this episode earlier today. Sorry about that! This represents the final version of the episode. I hope you like it.  Why did I quit my secure job in Oslo in early 2025 so that I could dedicate myself full-time to starting a podcast, this podcast?⠀In the first three episodes of the podcast, you've met people from all across Slovakia who have shared their fears, hopes and visions for a better country. They have demonstrated openness and vulnerability during our conversations and for that I am grateful to them. ⠀Now it's my turn to be open and vulnerable. Why am I doing this work? Why do I consider Central Europe Matters a mission as much as a podcast? ⠀I owe a great debt to the Bratislava-based post-metal band Besna, whose song Ocean práchu (Ocean of Dust) is the soundtrack to this episode. This episode truly wouldn't have been possible without this hauntingly beautiful track.  ⠀Please let me know what you think of the episode by emailing me at jeff@centraleuropematters.eu. I'd also be grateful if you'd share this podcast with a friend who feels overwhelmed by the current direction of travel in Europe and the world. ⠀I also want to thank my producer Dávid Pál for the beautiful work he did mastering this episode. ⠀You will have a "regular" episode in your feed next Wednesday. ⠀Finally, if you're located in or near Oslo, please join me for the official podcast launch event Tuesday, September 8th from 4:30pm until 6:30pm at Kulturhuset.  This episode was executive produced and hosted by me, Jeff Lugowe. Why did I quit my secure job in Oslo in early 2025 so that I could dedicate myself full-time to starting a podcast, this podcast? ⠀In the first three episodes of the podcast, you've met people from all across Slovakia who have shared their fears, hopes and visions for a better country. They have demonstrated openness and vulnerability during our conversations and for that I am grateful to them. ⠀Now it's my turn to be open and vulnerable. Why am I doing this work? Why do I consider Central Europe Matters a mission as much as a podcast? ⠀I owe a great debt to the Bratislava-based post-metal band Besna, whose song Ocean práchu (Ocean of Dust) is the soundtrack to this episode. This episode truly wouldn't have been possible without this hauntingly beautiful track.  ⠀Please let me know what you think of the episode by emailing me at jeff@centraleuropematters.eu. I'd also be grateful if you'd share this podcast with a friend who feels overwhelmed by the current direction of travel in Europe and the world. ⠀I also want to thank my producer Dávid Pál for the beautiful work he did mastering this episode. ⠀You will have a "regular" episode in your feed next Wednesday. ⠀Finally, if you're located in or near Oslo, please join me for the official podcast launch event Tuesday, September 8th from 4:30pm until 6:30pm at Kulturhuset.  This episode was executive produced and hosted by me, Jeff Lugowe.

    Bonus episode: The story behind the podcast

  12. Bonus

    Bonus episode II: Listener questions

    We now have seven episodes under our belt and are approaching the end of season 1: Slovakia - Democracy under attack. So what better time to share a few listener questions that have come in over the past week? ⠀ I've done my best to answer the four questions I received for today's episode, but if I left anything out, shoot me an email. Somehow or another, I only managed to answer only one half of a two-part question I got about who my listeners are. So I figured I'd share the top 5 countries in terms of listeners: 1) Slovakia; 2) Norway; 3) United States; 4) Czechia (a.k.a. Czech Republic... I'm trying to get behind the rebrand); 5) United Kingdom. Sad not to see your country make the top 5? Recruit more listeners, dammit!⠀ To close out the episode, I share a few hints about my plans for season 2 of Central Europe Matters. ⠀ Next week, you'll have a "regular" episode in your feed, followed by the season finale the week after that. ⠀ Thank you to SAMOTAY for lending his track Motýle to this bonus episode and for his support of the podcast. It means a lot!⠀ This episode was mastered and produced by Dávid Pál. It was written, hosted, and executive produced by me, Jeff Lugowe. ​⠀ If you're enjoying Central Europe Matters, please share your favorite episode with someone you know. Thank you for listening!

    Bonus episode II: Listener questions
See All Season 1 (12)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to a brand-new, narrative podcast about society, politics and democracy in the heart of Europe. Meet local activists, experts, journalists, artists and others struggling to make sense of what's happening in their countries and of the turbulent times we live in. Between democratic backsliding, far-right populism, the ongoing legacy of 20th century experiments in totalitarianism, and a strategically vital location on the doorstep of Russia and Ukraine, Central Europe is ground zero for the battle over the future of Europe. ⠀ Host Jeff Lugowe draws on his academic study of the region at Brown and Harvard and his knowledge of Polish and Czech as he takes listeners on a journey around the big cities and forgotten corners of Central Europe. ⠀ Season 1: Slovakia — Democracy under Attack launched August 12th. New episodes every Wednesday. ⠀ Central Europe Matters is an independent, DIY narrative podcast hosted and started by Jeff and produced by Dávid Pál. It is generously supported by the EEA Civil Society Fund Slovakia.

Information

  • Creator
    Central Europe Matters
  • Episodes
    12
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Central Europe Matters
  • Show Website
    Central Europe Matters

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